A Rondo of Fate and Mystery
by Dschehuti
Summary: The logical conclusion that the Halloween Event Re-Run was placed on October the Fourth: Long after Mashu, our blank protagonist and their ragtag bunch of adventurers managed to defeat the Egyptians and retook the castle of Elizabeth Bathory, they stumble upon a strange mansion trapped amidst a typhoon. Magic, Murder and heated debates follow...
1. Introduction Chapter

Hachiyo Tohya's Author notes: You see, I've noticed that Fate/Grand Order set the date of their Halloween Re-Run in a way that it overlapped with the fateful timespan between October the Fourth and October the Sixth in which Umineko When they Cry takes place. I know that the plotbunny springing up from that coincidal fact will find rarely a reader, but I had hoped to get the crowd at the FGO Wiki involved in a little game of mine own...

Thing is, the following story is supposed to be a mystery story using the same narrative devices Umineko uses. The Chaldea crowd of the Halloween event stumbles into a miniature verson of the Rokkenjima guest house, impossible murder happen, Truth Battles ensue! To celebrate Umineko and these fateful October days I invite you to fight me, to tackle this short little mystery and prove that you can unravel the truth once again!

The sixth and last chapter will then be a conclusion in which the true culprit will be revealed. So before you read that one, sit back and think for yourself to get the most out of the experience!

* * *

Therefore I present you a little tale that happens today... long after Mashu, our blank protagonist and their ragtag bunch of adventurers managed to defeat the Egyptians and retook the castle of Elizabeth Bathory. But instead of returning to Chaldea to await their next adventure, they did what every RPG party worth they mettle does... they rounded up the remaining mobs and farmed the hell out of them! Again... and again... and again... and again... and again...

"Good thing I'm too drunk to care," Shuten Douji declared unsteadily, shortly before getting mauled by the Noble Phantasm of Nitocris.

"That seemed to be the last one", the queen observed. "For now at least."

"... and my old partner died once more for nothing. No CE drop", Ibaraki muttered.

A sighing Elizabeth handed Robin Hood a 1000-Yen bill.

"Anyone else willing to join in?" The bowman gave a mischievous grin. "With every miss the payout goes more into your favor!"

"Fouuu!", the small critter went mischievously.

"Wait, you guys are _betting_ on our loot?" Mashu seemed incredulous.

Robin shrugged nonchalantly.

"It gets boring stuck in the back row, folks need something to make it worth their time. How about it?"

"No thanks, I pass..."

"Your loss...," he then fetched a cigarette out of his pocket and was just about to vanish for a quick smoke when he hesitated and looked up into the pitch black sky with an annoyed frown. "Guys, it looks like its going to pour in a bit."

A groan went through the group, especially Ibaraki and Elizabeth seemed down.

"May I chime in?" The voice of Doctor Roman announced his presence. "I have taken the liberty to look at the meteorological data of your current singularity. And... the weather forecast speaks indeed of a heavy storm. I'm serious here, we are talking about typhoon level magnitude. More than that, it's going to be a real monster!"

"Such a storm so far away from the sea?" Mashu was still doubtful, even though she looked at the dark horizon with dread.

"I suppose the singularity is messing with the weather. Given how unstable this one is..."

"... admittedly, this one was one of the wackier ones, no wonder it is on the bring of collapse."

"Hey, you are talking about my home here!" Mail-bikini Elizabeth complained, as if to drive the point home with only her ill-fitting presence.

"Fine then. It is already late anyway, we should retire to the castle for now," Mashu declared. "What's your opinion on it, Sempai?"

Ritsuka, the faceless protagonist, seemed taken aback for being included in the conversation. After thinking a little consideration, he replied:

[ I am neutral on the matter. ]

[ I trust your judgment, Mashu. ]

[ Lead the way, Mashu. ]

"Then let's retire for today, Sempai."

Thus the party made its way back to Elizabeth's estates, but it appeared that by plowing their way through challenge quests and farming encounters they strayed quite a bit from their initial path. Long before they came even close to the castle grounds, a cold downpour started to drench human and Servants alike.

"I severely dislike traveling like this..." Elizabeth's eye was twitching.

"Pull yourself together, we need to reach the castle before it gets even worse," Shielder stated, though she herself was struggling against the heavy breeze and her shield kept dragging through the mud as it was swaying in the wind.

"Can you still hear me?" Roman called out, sounding alarmed.

"We can, what is the matter?" Ibaraki shouted back impatiently, being drenched from head to toe like everyone else, but looking doubly ticked off about it.

"Have you found shelter yet?" The doctor was dead serious for once.

"We are about to," Mash replied. "How far is it, Elizabeth? You said this mountain path is a shortcut?"

"It used to be...", the countess was twitching nervously. "Remember that muddy waterfall we encountered a while ago? That was the mountain road leading to the eastern gate. I was forced to take us around it, looking for different path."

"Different path to where? Back to the main road?" Mashu's face darkened as she realized that they had left that very same road and were now heading straight through the forest. Even the werewolves and other critters had fled when facing this thunderstorm.

Elizabeth's only reply was even more nervous twitching.

"Oh marvelous!" Ibaraki exclaimed with a hiss.

"It's not my fault! Everything looks so different to how it used to be... What with the whole singularity messing things up," Elizabeth defended herself weakly.

Ibaraki however looked to Robin for help:

"Come on, forest boy, can't you do something to get us back on track?"

"Sorry, but these woods are just as unfamiliar to me as they are to you."

"Not good... not good at all!" Roman interjected. "The _real_ storm is going to hit you soon. I'm not very concerned about you Servants, you can weather it regardless of your, uh, choice of garments, but Ritsuka is just human. A magically empowered thunderstorm like this will kill him."

He sneezed just then in acknowledgement, as he had been shivering the whole time as even more sprays of water washed over him with every gust of wind. He was concentrating on carrying Fou in his arms to prevent the small creature from being swept away, but he himself had now trouble staying on his feet.

"You need to hurry for shelter! Now!" Roman urged once again.

"You heard the doctor," Mashu was grimacing as she was looking back at her Master. "Please endure it, Sempai, we will find shelter soon enough. Robin? Sorry, but we have to rely on your tracking skills."

"Fine, but don't expect any wonders...", with a sigh he wandered onwards, pulling his hood over his head in a feeble attempt to brace himself against the storm.

"Uh, guys...," Nitocris was calling out meekly. "I didn't want to interrupt you, but how about following these lights!"

Everyone was startled about her interjection, but they followed her pointing finger regardless and indeed there were some distant lights coming from afar.

"Well... how about trying that?" Robin gave a chuckle. "Worst that can happen is running into a ghost, huh?"

"Already had enough of those, though" Ibaraki grunted.

"Fine, let's make a dash for it," Mashu raised her shield as a makeshift umbrella over herself and Ritsuka (even though at this point it was already pointless anyway) and thus dragged him along with the group as they closed in to the strange lights.

After passing the dense forest, the first sign of having entered artificial grounds were the golden rose-petals scattering in the wind. The group found itself in a small rose garden that would have looked magical and beaming under a different light, but right now was just being mauled by the heavy storm just like them. Behind the rose garden the source of the lights became apparent: A single western-style manor had been erected in this remote place and the lights came out of several windows.

"How convenient...," Robin muttered, barely audible to the rest of the group.

"No reason to complain...," Ibaraki growled back.

They arrived in front of the large wooden front doors. There was a small roof above it, so at least there was a minimal amount of shelter for while they were waiting for someone to appear. Mashu was eyeing her surroundings warily, the whole thing seemed oddly modern for this supposed era, but the sound of Ritsuka's teeth clattering drove all hesitation out of her and she knocked regardless. Before someone appeared, Elizabeth took the front stage, shoving her aside.

"Stand back, peasants, and let me do the talking! These are my lands and these are my subjects after all!"

"Sure...," Mashu grimaced, but watched how things would unfold.

After a few seconds the clicking of someone unlocking the door was audible and finally the door opened wide enough for a single head to look out. It belonged to a middle-aged man with long black hair, a small goatee and who was wearing both a classy suit and a monocle.

"Huh? Travelers? Can I help you?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Elizabeth presented herself proudly in front of him.

"I am Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Lady of these domains! I order you to offer us your hospitality!"

Everyone except Nitocris and Ritsuka buried their head in their palm.

"So much for diplomacy," Robin wheezed.

"We are all going to drown out here," Ibaraki groaned.

However, the stranger seemed more amused than anything else as he was taking a skeptical look at the scantily clad Elizabeth.

"Pukuku, what a spirited child! But a Countess? Surely you jest."

In spite of the freezing storm, Mashu was sure to feel a wave of heat emitted by the slighted aristocrat, who balled her fists.

"I am clad for adventuring! Nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't change my noble heritage. Now stand aside, servant!"

The man gave another chuckle.

"No need to get all demanding. I would have allowed you to enter regardless, as my mistress is always fond of more guests. The more the merrier, pukuku."

He ushered them in and everyone sighed in relief as they finally got a solid roof above their heads.

"Sorry to trouble you...," Mashu spoke up, glossing over Elizabeth's lacking first impression. "We were lost out there if not for you. I cannot thank you enough for having us."

"It is quite a nasty weather for hiking indeed, young Miss," the stranger replied. "I will better prepare the baths and a few spare clothes."

"Only for me and Sempai here, thanks. The rest of us should be quite fine."

To drive the point home, the other Servants changed into Spirit Form and back again, allowing the water clinging to them to rain down to the ground and for them to reemerge perfectly dry. Only Fou was shaking itself like a drenched dog.

"Don't be afraid, we are-"

"- special guests of course,", the butler gave a knowing grin. "My mistress is well acquainted with the world of magic, so there is no need to explain your nature. Though your Master seems quite weathered to be sure. I will hurry to prepare the rooms, please follow me."

He lead them to the stairs opposing the entrance, but on their way to them Mashu ended up staring at a massive portrait of a blonde woman in a billowing dress of black and gold, who seemed to observe anyone entering rather thoughtfully.

"Is that...?" She asked in wonder.

"Indeed, pukukuku. This is the revered Lady of this mansion. She has many names. The Mistress of the night, the Archmaster of Alchemy, the Endless... but right now she goes just by Beatrice. Beatrice, the Golden Witch..."

Mashu ended up staring at her portrait in wonder. She seemed beautiful, but also somewhat sad. The sound of thunder from outside wasn't helping in regards to that impression.

"I'm sorry, we have never properly introduced ourselves. I am Mashu Kyrielight and this is my Master Ritsuka Fujimaru. Our... lively companions here are... Elizabeth Bathory, Queen Nitocris, Robin Hood, Ibaraki Douji of the Oni and the little one here is Fou."

"Fouuuuuu!", the small critter said.

"An illustrious group to be sure," he was still chuckling as he was eyeing everyone.

"May we also get your name, since you saved us so graciously from the storm?"

His smile gained an edge as he took a step backwards and made a deep bow.

"Surely, I am an uninteresting fellow. I am just a humble servant of my mistress. But if it is your wish to know my name, I will oblige: It is Ronove, twenty-seventh of the seventy-two demon gods. At your service!"

Another flash of lightning was striking somewhere close.

Right now everyone was sure that this was about to become...

 **A Rondo of Fate and Mystery**


	2. Bonding Chapter

**A Rondo of Fate and Mystery - Bonding Chapter**

Much to Mashu's never-ending surprise, this demon was not inclined to turn into a pillar of pus and twitching eyes to give them a surprise boss fight. Indeed he seemed quite startled about hers and Ritsuka's sudden hostility as he gave his identity away.

"Your caution speaks for you, young Miss, but it is unnecessary," the demonic butler spoke, again with his pleasant smile. "I am well aware that you are making yourself a name by defeating my brethren, but I myself was just summoned to serve tea, not to pick a fight. Unless my mistress asks me, that is..."

"Don't fool around like this...," Mashu was pulling her Master behind her, summoning her shield as a defensive measure.

"Oh please come on, Mashu, we have fought the whole day!" Elizabeth complained with an eye-roll. "Enough is enough. And you guys were complaining about my take on hospitality..."

Mashu looked around. Nitocris was nodding in agreement, Ibaraki as well. Robin shrugged. Suddenly she found herself pretty much alone. Except...

"What do you say, Sempai?

[ ... ]

[ Brrr... ]

[ I can't feel my fingers...]

"O...kay... I guess that means we trust you, Mr. Ronove. For now..."

And with that she made her shield disappear and allowed the strange butler to fetch a couple of towels for her and Ritsuka.

The allocation of the rooms went easily enough. They were a little short-staffed on them due to other guests being there, so they were forced to share rooms. All of them were on the first floor, with Ritsuka and Robin sharing the first one, Mashu and Nitocris the second one and Ibaraki and Elizabeth the third one. They were all next to each other, wall to wall.

"What a conservative choice. And here I thought you would be more interesting guests...," the weird butler complained after they had settled in and Ritsuka returned from a hot shower to drive away the cold.

"I guess it will get lively no matter what you expect...," Nitocris said amiably.

Mashu cleared her throat in attempt to change the topic:

"You said something about other guests..."

"Right, right. Follow me to the dining room. It is time for the evening meal in any case, so it is better to make introductions!"

The odd group was lead down the stairs once again and passing the portrait, they arrived in a big room with a long and lavishly decorated table stacked with expensive looking silverware. On the side of the table sitting adjacent to them, four people sat. The first was a young man with glasses in a beige suit, next to him was a pony-tailed girl in similarly dressed up attire. Then came a young man of roughly the same age as the girl, with unkempt red hair and wearing a rather flashy white and red suit, next to him was a small primary school age girl with a black crown on her head. They all wore the same golden eagle emblem somewhere on their clothes that was both apparent on the butler's sleeve and woven into the dress of the golden witch.

"I am very sorry for the intrusion, but these travelers have sought refuge to wait out the storm for tonight, so they will join us this night," Ronove explained matter-of-factly.

"Ah, no problem with that, the more the merrier!" the red-headed boy declared with a grin. "Though it seems to be a very... illustrious group to be sure..."

He side-eyed Elizabeth. Before it got any worse, Mashu once again introduced everyone and their reason for staying while the Butler headed for the kitchen.

"Ah, I see, so you guys are adventuring to save the world. Pretty impressive," The boy with the glasses gave a wink and the girl joined in happily.

"And what brought you to this remote mansion?" Mashu asked, seating herself along the table aside her Master.

It was the one in the white suit who spoke first.

"Ah, we are cousins of the Ushiromiya family. We were stuck in that boring family meeting when the witch suddenly invited us to join this game with Maria here," he pointed to the little girl next to him.

"Uuuu ~! Beatrice is such a powerful witch, she can even make boring farming fun by bringing it alive!"

"Seriously, are you guys even trying to be in-character?" The girl asked, before turning back towards the new arrivers. "Forgive their nonsense. But it is correct that we are cousins and that the witch invited us to stay over. I'm Jessica, the big oaf is Battler, the little one is Maria and George is the reliable one supposed to babysitting us!"

The one with the glasses seemed to take mild offence at that:

"Hey, I am just as much trying to have fun as you guys. But if someone has to look like an adult in contrast, I'm not going to complain."

Mashu seemed unsure what to make of them. Amidst this strange singularity, this group seemed to only consist of regular humans.

"So what exactly is it that this witch wants from you?" she asked warily.

It was Battler who leaned forward with a knowing smile.

"Can't you see it? Ihihihi! A group of strangers seeking refuge in a spooky mansion that is inhabited by a witch? Isn't that the beginning of many a good mystery story?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"Though I have to admit, this group of strangers isn't quite one that would fit into a detective novel...," Jessica muttered, turning to Maria. "Are you sure that aunt Rosa is fine with you playing such a game?"

"Uuuu ~! It's fine, Mama doesn't really care what I do anyway."

A few unsure glances were exchanged between the cousins.

"In any case, you guys are on a mission to save the world, aren't you?"

"Yes we are. We are Heroic Spirits of the Chaldea Organization. Sempai here is the one we are bound to."

"Sempai?" he looked Ritsuka over. "You don't look much older than her. What exactly makes you her Sempai?"

[ ... ]

[ I don't know. ]

"And the talkative sort aren't you either," he chuckled.

"He can't help it, Uuuu ~. They never bothered to flesh him out. Not even with the movie..."

"I see..."

Mashu was frowning, but kept her thoughts to herself.

"So... Battler, isn't it? You wanted to say that we should be on our guard against the witch earlier, didn't you?" she asked instead.

He seemed startled, gesturing helplessly with his arms.

"Ahaha, don't get me wrong! It's not that I expect something bad to happen. It's just that the setting would be near perfect, wouldn't it? It's not as if something as ridiculous as a witch would actually live here."

"What do you mean? Isn't that the title of the owner of this mansion?"

"Yes it is!" Maria was proclaiming loudly, but seemed overruled by her cousins.

"What Battler means, is that nobody has seen this Beatrice in ages. It is rumored that maybe she doesn't even exist..."

"Uuuu ~... she does exist, she's playing with us right now, doesn't she? Uuuu ~..."

"But Ronove... he has to serve someone, he is an Ars Goetia Demon after all...," Mashu was confused about their ideas.

Battler himself was laughing it off:

"Ronove? That goofy guy a demon? Come on, he was just messing with you."

It should have been easy to dissuade him just by asking Dr. Roman, but for some reason the connection to him broke off the moment they had entered the mansion. Likely a result of the magical storm raging outside.

"So you came in the expectation that the witch was just a myth?" Nitocris was the one asking the obvious.

"Exactly. We are eager to disprove any supernatural occurrences happening this night," Battler announced.

"How can you say that when we, the guests, are supernatural ourselves?", Mashu's frown grew heavier with each second.

"Easily enough: Magic seems reasonable in your world when you are out there beating up the bad guys. But in here... that would make a bad mystery story, wouldn't it?"

"Uuuu ~... but Beatrice exists...," Maria's unhappy remark remained mostly ignored.

Mashu's frown wavered. She thought about his words and in spite of her better knowledge, it made some amount of sense when looked at under these circumstances.

"You are right. This really looks more like the setting of one of Holmes' adventures..."

[ Wait, aren't you a big Holmes fan, Mashu? ]

Mashu gave an embarrassed nod.

"Reading Doyle's novels is indeed one of my hobbies."

"Ah, cool, cool!" Battler's grin widened. "Though maybe Christie would be more fitting here... In the end, we want to have a story that is fair to the reader, not one that embellishes the cunning of the detective by hiding evidence and knowledge. Readers don't like stumbling through the dark after all."

"Oh dear, there we go. Two mystery otakus meet who will annoy us through the whole dinner with their book talk...," Elizabeth groaned.

"Doesn't matter as long as there is food!" an impatient Ibaraki countered.

"Fouuuu!", the small beast agreed happily.

Food was indeed served shortly afterwards. The talk continued throughout, so even though the praises for Ronove's splendid cooking took over the narrative, there was still some bonding between Battler and Mashu in regards to both their reading interests _and_ their parental ire in regards to the stupid names applied to them. Even if Mashu's case seemed a bit more sinister than Battler's father's lacking English. Interestingly enough, the witch never showed herself during the entire dinner, leaving the seat set for her empty. Not that anyone in the merry group bothered too much about it.

Jessica and Elizabeth somehow got to the topic of music and suddenly a new rivalry was born, one that turned to outright hostility when Jessica suddenly fetched her guitar.

"Whoa, whoa, I never knew you play guitar!" Battler exclaimed. "What else have I missed in these six years?"

"A lot, I guess," was the grinning Jessica's reply. "It is kinda depressing that I had to practice out here in the guest house without my mom knowing, but at least this means it is nearby today. With our parents holed up in the main building, I guess there is nothing wrong with showing off a little."

"Say who's breaking character now, ihihihi!" Battler cackled.

"Uuuu ~! A song! Jessica is singing us a song!"

"Okay, fine with me," Elizabeth hissed. "Bring it on, blondie!"

And with that the sound of a rather upbeat pop number echoed through the halls of the mansion, reaching out as far as to the portrait of the witch. The initial expectation of something dreadful to occur seemed swept away, but the witch would not forget the challenge spoken out to her... The witch would not forget... and there would be no escape until the storm passes...


	3. The Chapter of the Witch

**A Rondo of Fate and Mystery - The Chapter of the Witch**

The dinner ended without any strange occurrences or any great entrance of the witch. Ronove dodged every question about the absence of his mistress, so Battler pestered him enough until he agreed to give a nightly tour around the mansion. They of course hoped that they might run into her one way or another.

They moved as a single group. First came the ground floor. The dining room was already known to them and the trip into the kitchen was cut short when Ibaraki eyed the large fridge with greedy eyes. Well that and the silverware. Ronove, noticing this, aborted their trip there and ushered them through a small servant waiting room with a display of keys back out into the corridor. There was a smaller parlor next to the dining room, one that strikingly even had a TV, much to Mashu's never-ending dismay about the inconsistency of this Halloween-themed singularity.

Next were the rooms where the cousins stayed. It were guest rooms very much like the ones the Chaldea group used. Small rooms with two beds, a small wardrobe and a door with a chain-lock. The windows were sturdy and reinforced by metal bars on the outside, something that gave Mashu a weird feeling of being locked up in a prison cell when she looked through one to observe the still raging storm outside.

With nothing more to see on the ground floor, they passed the portrait of the witch once again and climbed the stairs to the top. They took a short tour through the guest rooms of Chaldea's group and then arrived in front of a locked door right next to their rooms.

"This is the room of my mistress," Ronove declared matter-of-factly.

"Is she remaining in this room because she doesn't want to be disturbed?" Mashu asked.

"I cannot presume to speak for Lady Beatrice's intentions," once again an evasion.

"May I try?" she asked instead of further imploring, gesturing with her balled fist towards the door.

Ronove stepped backwards with a slight bow, a knowing smile on his lips.

"Go ahead, young lady..."

Mashu was a bit surprised about how little he cared about her disturbing his master, but she knocked anyway. There came no reaction. Startled, she knocked again. And again. No answer at all.

"Excuse me, Lady Beatrice?"

There was still no reply.

"Come on, don't bore me with your Japanese politeness!" Ibaraki then went ahead for the knob, a move Mashu expected to end in violence...

... at least until she easily pushed the door open. It was unlocked. While Mashu and the cousins stood there dumbfounded, Ibaraki just made a triumphant gesture.

"Please, I'm very sorry for intruding," Mashu apologized when sticking her head inside, "but... huh?"

The room was empty. There was no witch, no magic, just a small arrangement of armchairs amidst rows and rows of dusty books. Mashu entered with both disappointment and awe, accompanied by both Ritsuka and Battler.

"Seems that no one is home, huh?" the latter observed.

"May I remind you that I didn't say anything about Lady Beatrice actually being in here right now," Ronove gave a small chuckle.

Mashu paid no further heed to the antics of their host. She went through this little library with wide eyes.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles, A study in Scarlet...," she read the titles.

Battler went to another shelf:

"Here we are: Murder on the Orient Express, 4.50 from Paddington, And then there were none...," he pointed at the last one with a mischievous smile.

"All mystery novels..."

"All detective fiction!" Battler added.

"And all classics, even I know many of them," Jessica joined in.

Mashu found herself returning Battler's grin.

"This witch really has a good taste, it seems," he noted. "Though I guess this makes our stay here even more hazardous. She is versed in the genre."

"So it seems," Mashu admitted. "But I do wonder where she is if not here... Ronove, are there any other bedrooms besides the ones the guests use?"

"Lady Beatrice has no need for such, I have to admit. So no this is the last room on this floor."

She nodded in acknowledgement, at least until she processed his wording. She realized that there had been stairs leading upwards at the end of the corridor.

"What is with the second floor?" she asked.

"There is only the attic...," the demon replied evasively. "But if you insist, I can show you that my mistress won't be there either."

They left this study alone and went up the stairs for the last time. Like the butler said, it turned out to lead to an initially locked door that opened up to a small attic when Ronove opened it up for them. Now this messy place was the oddest in this western mansion. It was chock full with what appeared to be occult ingredients, weird scrolls and magic circles, which (reinforced by the sound of heavy raindrops dribbling onto the roof) made it look like the workshop of an especially careless Magus. But upon further inspection, most of the stuff turned out to consist of cheap trinkets, plastic models and merchandise. It was arranged more to look creepy than to serve any distinct purpose. Nevertheless little Maria seemed happy, strolling around with wide eyes and happy laughter as she was pointing out obscure references to her distraught cousins.

"More and more it seems that Battler is right, that there is no witch hiding somewhere and that Ronove is the only one messing with our expectations," Mashu whispered to Ritsuka, who only nodded. "But I don't get what he's gaining by it..."

She looked over to Ronove, who silently accompanied Maria, carefully guiding her so that she won't cut herself at the odd knife lying around. She was currently looking at a box of stake-shaped paperweights that looked especially painful if you stepped onto them. At least he was taking care of her until he noticed Nitocris stepping towards the large window in front of them. It seemed that she only wanted to take a look outside, but the demon butler still called out:

"Careful there! That window is-"

The sound of wood creaking and Nitocris shriek echoed through the attic as a violent rush of icy wind and hard raindrops were rushing in. The pharaoh was just leaning against the window frame, but it immediately gave way and opened the window far and wide. With no terrace or much more of a roof beneath, it would have been a long fall, if Nitocris hadn't been able to jump back at the last moment. A distraught Ronove hurried over to her and leaned out, closing the window while she was apologizing stiffly, still frozen of shock.

"Sorry, sorry... I didn't intend to..."

"Of course not," Ronove replied dryly as he was brushing the raindrops off his suit. "This window is just in a bad state of repair and threatens to fall out of its frame at the slightest provocation. This is why I have the only key to the attic. It would be too dangerous for a guest to stumble in here while on a witch hunt, only to be unfortunate enough to fall to his death."

"I see... I'm sorry..."

"No need to apologize, young lady, pukuku. It was my mistake, I should have warned you sooner."

Not that a Heroic Spirit was in any way in danger just through a little fall. It would have only turned out embarrassing if any of them happened to stumble through the window. For the humans however...

In any case, with that their little exploration of the mansion ended. For all they knew, there was no witch. That would give them enough of a relief for the night. But even then they still decided to lock their rooms, just to be sure. Nitocris was already throwing herself into her bed, sighing of exhaustion and lamenting the day when Mashu checked the door. When sticking out her head, she noticed the lights had been turned off in the corridor, letting it get swallowed by a spooky darkness. A darkness in which a golden light sparkled somewhere far away.

"Is something amiss?" Nitocris asked in confusion, obviously startled by Mashu's irritated expression.

"Nothing... it's just... excuse me for a bit, I'm right back!"

Leaving the pharaoh behind, Mashu snuck out into the corridor, closing the door behind her back and allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was indeed something glowing, something that had to be magical. Step by step she approached, for some reason trying not to startle it. Because somehow she knew that this was not just a broken lamp, but something alive. And even then she only recognized it as a golden butterfly resting on the wall when she stood nearly directly next to it.

"What the..."

That was already enough to make the small insect jump off and flutter down the hallway, loosing a trail of golden sparks in its trail. Mashu followed it to the study of the witch, a very bad feeling in her belly. The butterfly flew towards the door at full speed, without any attempt of landing on it, instead it flew right through it, disappearing together with its glow as if it never had been there before. Mashu opened the door and peered into the dark room beyond, but there was no trace of a butterfly whatsoever. A witch was not to be found either. The demi-Servant found herself in the darkness, pondering whether this was a trick on her eyes, even though she was convinced to have seen that weird insect only a moment before.

"Something strange is going on here..."

She returned to her room with a troubled expression. But when Nitocris asked what was wrong, she could only dismiss both her question and the questions in her own mind. She went into her bed and fell into an unruly sleep...

Meanwhile Ritsuka had managed to fall into sleep like a stone. It surely must have been the exhaustion of the day that tired him out.

"Master!"

It was a dreamless sleep, the soft sheets and cushions he had wrapped himself in were a truly impenetrable fortress of solitude.

"Master!"

Every muscle in his body was relaxing, causing him to fall into the abyss of duly needed bliss.

"Wake up, damn it!"

Ritsuka opened his eyes and found himself being shaken up roughly by an unnerved Robin.

[ What's the ruckus? ]

[ What's wrong? ]

"I thought you wouldn't get up at all!"

Only then he noticed the oddity that must have ticked the Archer off. Laughter. A manic female cackle was filling the air, as much as the golden glow of the walls. Even the drumming of the raindrops outside was somehow dimmed.

"A bounded field," Robin confirmed his suspicions, "It is weak, so we can still escape."

Ritsuka grabbed shirt and trousers and followed Robin out into the hallway. But there was no escape. The entire corridor was glowing golden. Countless butterflies were covering every inch of the walls.

"How unfortunate! This whole mansion is my playground. As if I'd let my new toys escape so easily", it was the same voice that had been laughing before.

[ We need help! ]

[ What about Mash! ]

While Robin was securing the hallway, Ritsuka rushed over to the door of Shielder and Caster, pounding against it and calling out their names. There was no answer. By now there should have been enough of a ruckus to wake even far less alert people than Mashu.

"Oh, I'm sorry, your friends can't hear you either, because now you are in my realm! Cut off from the rest of this world, trapped in a catbox that makes it impossible to say whether you are still fighting... or already dead!"

A large number of golden butterflies converged in one point in the middle of the corridor, taking on a human shape that transformed fast into a being eerily similar to the witch of the portrait. But while the face on the picture seemed distant and thoughtful, this one was twisted in cruel spitefulness.

Even before Ritsuka could think about the order, Robin already darted forward with his crossbow, loosening his first bolt that hit the witch and plowed right through her chest... a hit that caused the witch to dissolve immediately back into a rush of butterflies that now swept over both him and his Master. It was a harmless shower, but still irritating.

"How rude, interrupting me before I could properly introduce myself," the voice appeared again. "Good thing I know all about you, Thief King of the Sherwood forest. It should be most fitting then when your end comes through this one... Rise, Mammon of Greed!"

A weird sound now appeared. Metal clicking around the wooden walls, banging from side to side. Robin was tensing, his crossbow ready. Then a projectile shot forward, a single stake of dark metal, but long before it could reach the two of them, one of Robin's bolts intercepted it and threw it off-course. The stake proved persistent however. It caught itself in the air and went for another go, got hit again, came back, got hit again and came back again and again. Robin was unable to get a decisive hit, but he also had no trouble keeping it away.

"You really think greed is the motivation I was fighting for?" the Heroic Spirit scoffed.

"Not really, no," was the blunt answer.

Robin suddenly cursed and broke off from his engagement with the Mammon stake, jumping back to tackle Ritsuka roughly back towards the door. While that one was still reeling from the rough shoving, he noticed Robin giving a painful grunt as another stake had buried itself in his left arm. If not for a last-minute twist of his body, it would have plunged right into his chest instead.

"Belphegor of Sloth seems more fitting, huh?" the voice cackled.

"Damn you..."

Robin gave another grunt as he pulled the deeply stuck stake of his arm and threw it back out into the corridor. It rolled then away from him in a rather unnatural pattern, as if pulled by a string, only to rise into the air... and transform. Into a human shaped figure. A young girl in a uniform, with red eyes and long black hair.

"What a bother," she said. "That I had to get you on my own."

"Don't look at me, he's stronger than the usual bunch," the first stake hovered next to her and transformed similarly into a weird humanoid demon.

"It is time to finish this then," a third one appeared.

... and then a fourth... a fifth... a sixth and a seventh. All seven hovered in the air, encircling Ritsuka and Robin, who were still as good as nailed to the door of their room.

"Seven demon chicks, for each of the seven sins. Figures," Robin cursed, glancing back at his Master. "I may be good, but I doubt I can protect you from all of them at once. Please retreat into the room."

Ritsuka nodded and fled, locking the door behind him, leaving Robin to face the demons alone.

"We are the seven sisters of purgatory!," the third stake declared with a smug smile. "Rejoice as you are chosen as the sacrifice for our mistress!"

"Oh, and what a cutie we got here for a change," another one licked her lips. "I wonder what he tastes like!"

"I'm so envious, Belphegor, you got the first bite!"

Robin laughed at the absurdity of it. In this form he noticed they even had some faint blade-like protrusions made of light at their arms. Blades. As if they wanted to grant him class-advantage. Robin let go of his crossbow, making this weapon of a peasant disappear. It was strong and easy to use, but it was slow. And speed was the one thing he needed when trying to take them all down at once.

"Don't be so assured of your victory," he declared. "I may be a third-rate, but I am still a Heroic Spirit. The May King, the Thief King of Sherwood forest, the Yeoman of Nottingham. the Earl of Huntingdon, Robyn Hode and many more nameless outlaws. No matter how many different people they are, no matter how many years are between them, no matter whether they existed at all: I embody them all! I am Robin Hood!"

He stretched his left hand out, the one with the bleeding gash.

"Yew Bow!"

He tended to use his Noble Phantasm by letting the wood that his bow was derived from cut loose, but that was only useful against a single strong target. For these girls, he needed something more elegant. So he summoned his Noble Phantasm in his hand and let it grow into the most English weapon imaginable: His trusty longbow. His crossbow was just that, a crossbow created from his magical energy. But this weapon... this was his true Noble Phantasm, the true sign that he was the Thief King of Sherwood forest. He fetched his first arrow with a grin.

"Come, demons! Let's see whether you can outrun my arrows!"

The sisters returned his smile with theirs, transforming back into deadly stakes. Then the battle began...

Ritsuka was able to hear it on the other side. Countless bangs that sounded more like tiny explosions. It was a raging storm that must have devastated half the mansion. But it ended with a single heavy impact. An impact strong enough to push the door out of its angles and made it crash to the ground. And on the door... lay Robin. Pierced by all seven stakes, his once green cloak soaked red and blood coming gushing out of his mouth.

[ Robin! ]

Ritsuka ran to his side, trying to pick him up, but his entire body was stiff and barely movable.

"I'm sorry, Master," he forced a smile onto his blood-soaked lips. "I guess I was a little too popular with the ladies..."

[ Don't joke around like this! ]

Robin coughed in amusement, his body already starting to evaporate in a golden mist.

"Please... just... do me a single favor... when you... when you summon me again... please... spare a few more XP cards for a change!"

And with these words he vanished, leaving a teary eyed Ritsuka behind.

"Oh, corpses that disappear on their own? How boring...," a cruel voice observed.

Ritsuka looked up and saw the witch hovering right above him. Panicking, he jumped backwards, desperately trying to escape, but with her blocking the entrance, he was trapped.

"I guess I have to be content with only you, huh?"

The protagonist ran to the wall dividing him from Shielder and Caster, he was beating his fist against it and yelling for help.

[ Mashu! Mashu! Nitocris! Please! ]

But they couldn't hear him, the bounded field was too strong. Laughter was pouring right into his ears, when he turned around the cruel face of the witch was so close it was nearly touching his. He could feel her breath and cowered under her stare.

"Game over, Mobage-boy!"


	4. Investigation Chapter

**A Rondo of Fate and Mystery - Investigation Chapter**

Mashu woke up to the sound of wind howling and raindrops drumming against the window relentlessly. She braced herself for the possibility of spending another whole day in this weird mansion even before she stood up and walked to the window. The darkness that made it impossible to see any sign of dawn in spite of the late hour was enough of a sign to darken her mood, her inability to contact Dr. Roman proved to be the confirmation. The storm was still raging strong and there was no sign of relief. Nitocris stirred under the sheets of her bed:

"Weather is still terrible, eh? Makes me miss the humidity of Kemet."

"You never had storms like this?"

"Well, we had summer storms in the delta of lower Kemet, and then there were the life-bringing floods whenever they went overboard. But at least it was never this freezing cold..."

Mashu gave a weary sigh.

"It seems we have to strain the hospitality of this Ronove for another day. I'm going to wake up Sempai."

"Do that, I don't feel like standing up already...," Nitocris replied, turning away.

In contrast to the picture of the night, the lights in the hallway were already lit. It seemed that the butler already walked his tour through the mansion. Without further thinking about it, Mashu went to the door right next to theirs, knocking softly.

"Sempai? Robin?"

There was no reply. Not even an irritated grumble of Robin. So she knocked again.

"Sempai? Robin?"

"Anything wrong?"

For some reason Battler was walking up to her.

"Ah... not really," she admitted ",Sempai is a heavy sleeper, though I am a little surprised I haven't managed to get Robin's attention. It's not that he did anything that would have left him all that exhausted yesterday."

Battler sported a grin.

"Then time for playing nice is over, isn't it?" he knocked forcefully against the door, "Hey! Sleepyheads! What's with this attitude? History doesn't save itself on its own!"

Still no answer.

"Speaking of which, what are you doing on this floor?"

"Me? Uh, Ronove is kinda already bustling in the kitchen and asked me to fetch everyone for breakfast."

"I see," Mashu turned back to the door.

Something was not right. She'd hate to admit it, but Battler's jokes of the day before somehow got to her. This was a tad too much like in the mystery stories she liked so much.

"Please, excuse me, Sempai, I'm coming in!"

Of course nothing happened, the door was locked.

"I go get Ronove," Battler declared and went down the stairs with a troubled expression.

By the time the demon butler arrived, nothing had changed. Mashu all but pleaded for anyone to give a lifesign and she dreaded about using her spiritual link to check Ritsuka's vitalities.

"Has someone slept in so soundly?" the butler mused.

"I'm worried, please!", Mashu urged.

"Right away, young lady."

Ronove took out his Master Key, opened the door and... it stopped immediately with an audible clang. The chain was still in the way.

"He values his privacy, your friend, huh?"

Mashu scratched the back of her head.

"Well, truthfully, we all agreed to lock ourselves in," she took a peek inside, "Sempai?"

Barely anything of the room was visible through the tiny gap, but for some odd coincidence, it happened to be the bed Ritsuka was using. He was still lying there, peacefully, his eyes closed and facing the ceiling. And his neck dyed red. That was odd, Mashu thought madly as her heart plummeted into her bowels.

"Sempai! Sempai!" she shrieked.

"What's going on?" Nitocris finally arrived, attracted by the ruckus, but still rubbing her eyes.

"Something is wrong with Sempai!" Mashu half shouted.

"It seems we need to break in the door, sorry Ronove," Battler observed, already taking a few steps backwards for a charge.

"No need for that," Nitocris interjected timidly, "Allow me, please."

With that she switched into spirit form and phased through the door. Taking on corporeal form on the other side again, she pulled back the chain and allowed the rest of the group to enter.

Mashu was the first to charge in right towards the bed of Ritsuka, at which's side she collapsed.

"Sempai! Sempai! Please...," but there was no helping it.

No amount of begging could have woken him up from this kind of slumber. There was a thin dark red line going through the entire length of his throat. This must have been the source of the large pool of blood that had soaked the sheets of the bed.

Her tears were blurring her vision, but her mind was still racing. Mashu whirled around, facing the others:

"Don't move! Don't touch anything!"

Ronove was still standing at the door, obviously not having any intention to disturb the crime scene. Nitocris had hurried to the second bed that must have been Robin's, but since that turned out to be empty, she was just watching Mashu from afar. Only Battler stood right behind her, watching the scene teary eyed, but with vengeful determination.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, "I was just joking yesterday, I never truly wished for this."

"But it happened," Mashu said, "Someone murdered him and likely Robin as well."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Battler asked with a frown, "I see no other corpse."

"You have seen Nitocris disappear, didn't you?" Mashu asked back, "Robin is the same. A spirit. If he dies, there will be no trace."

"Still...," Nitocris seemed doubtful, "... killing a Heroic Spirit without leaving a battlefield behind... this must have been one skilled assassin."

"Uuuu ~. It was the witch," a new voice suddenly joined in.

Battler seemed distraught that not only Jessica and George, but Maria must have been attracted by this tumult as well. He hurried to the door, trying to shield her eyes from the gruesome scene within.

"Please stay downstairs, this no place for a child to be!"

It seemed to have been already too late though. And Maria showed herself troubled disturbingly little when facing the crime scene.

"But you've seen it, didn't you? How the witch killed them with magic! That's what happened! Beatrice exists!"

"Sure, that would be a fancy fantasy story. But I'm afraid it can't be that easy."

Jessica and George, since they were ones bringing Maria along, were also the ones taking her back downstairs now. The rest of the group made a short sweep around the crime scene, but there was little to find. Absolutely no sign of a battle was visible and neither was the weapon that had killed the boy. There was also nobody hiding in the closet, for that matter. Worst of all, they found the key to the room on the nightstand and Ronove assured them that outside of his Master Key there was no other one that could unlock this room.

"Do you think what I'm tinking?" Battler asked nervously.

"I'm afraid I do," Mashu replied, "This is a closed room murder..."

The chance that the witch was behind it rose with this train of thought, the owner of the mansion was well versed in the genre after all. But since they found no obvious trace of any kind of trick, a second possibility crept up inside her, one that pained her even when speaking it out:

"It might have been a Servant..."

"I assume you are not talking about the butler, eh?"

"No.. more that the murderer was one of our group."

A Servant could phase through the door without leaving it unlocked and a Servant was also capable of defeating Robin. Of course as a Demi-Servant and a defensively orientated one at that, both things would have been impossible for her. Still, suspecting her fellow Heroic Spirits of betraying her Sempai like this felt awful.

After concluding the investigation like this, Mashu took Ritsuka's key and Ronove locked up the room again so that the place may remain untouched. It was then when Ibaraki and Elizabeth joined them as well, obviously attracted by the commotion around Ritsuka's room. Mashu saw herself forced to break the news to them and watched their reactions. Elizabeth seemed uncharacteristically distraught, whether because of Ritsuka's fate or because something as ugly as this dared to happen two rooms away from her she could not say. Ibaraki asked whether this would have any effect on breakfast.

"It will, I'm afraid. Finding the killer has to come first," Mashu replied, slightly irritated about her priorities.

"How to start?" Battler asked. "Ronove said that he kept the door locked and allowed no other visitors inside, but if it is a Servant like you said, then not even the storm will have hindered their escape."

"If it is an outsider from the singularity, then there is little we can do until the storm passes. But if it is not..."

"... then we have a chance to corner him here!"

"Indeed. It should be best to split up and search the whole mansion for signs of the culprit or Robin, if he is still alive."

Battler looked towards the other Servants who watched in silence, grimacing slightly.

"We shouldn't let our guard down when dealing with someone who could potentially take down Robin Hood."

"I agree. We should arrange mixed groups of each room and between humans and Servants."

They went downstairs together and with everyone assembled in the dining room, groups were easily selected. It was decided that someone should guard the door, which was now the job of Elizabeth and Maria. With them already there, they could also afford to have a smaller group consisting of George, Jessica and Ibaraki to comb through the ground floor. For the second floor Battler and Nitocris became one team, as well as Mashu and Ronove. The latter Mashu thought necessary both to keep an eye on the butler and because she wanted to take a look at the attic afterwards.

The survivors were unaware that now that their eyes were averted from the crime scene, Beatrice made her return to the locked room of Ritsuka and Robin.

"Well... as it seems your companions think they have it to do with simple spirits, not with the magic of a witch," she spoke to the corpse, "It seems we need to convince them a little more, don't we? I guess this means I have to borrow you for a bit. Come... Arise..."

She summoned her pipe and waved it towards the dead Master like a pipe. And with such a gesture, the boy opened his eyes...

Shortly afterwards Mashu, Battler, Nitocris and Ronove arrived. Since they had already inspected the crime scene, they ignored the locked room and concentrated on the other ones. Mashu and Ronove looked into the room of Ibaraki and Elizabeth first, while Battler and Nitocris searched the study of the witch. They agreed to meet up at the room of Mashu and Nitocris afterwards. Though due to the study being a much more complex place to search, Battler and Nitocris finished their room far earlier. It was then, while Battler was still looking under the bed, unsure what exactly to search for, when Nitocris already went out and witnessed it...

... it was her dead Master, phasing through the closed and locked door, with empty eyes and if pulled by invisible strings by... a being that looked just like the witch of the portrait. The pharaoh was too awestruck to call out, too intimidated to intervene. She only collapsed on the floor, watching Ritsuka disappear upstairs.

"What's going on?" Mashu walked up to her, having returned from the study along with Ronove.

Nitocris only pointed towards the stairs, her arm trembling.

"The... the wich... she... she took our Master!"

"She did what?!" Mashu cursed, unbelieving that it was a witch, but accepting the possibility regardless.

Without further heed, she raced up the stairs in a whirl. The door to the attic was open and golden butterflies inhabited the entire room. And amidst all the occult trinkets stood the Golden Witch, Beatrice, a victorious smile on her lips as she was cradling the lifeless body of Ritsuka.

"Oh, I'm sorry my dear. You want to have this puppet? Too bad it is already mine!"

"I won't let you disappear like this," Shielder hissed.

"Mashu! What's going on?", Battler's voice echoed from below as he was racing up the stairs.

"Tch, too many eyes with their poison won't do," the witch's face twisted.

And before Mashu could have any chance to intervene, both the witch and Ritsuka's corpse turned into countless butterflies, merging with the rest of them and darting for the window. Their wave was so powerful that they didn't only burst open said windows, but toppled over the cupboard right next to it, making it crash on the ground with opened doors and emptied insides. By the time Battler arrived, only the cold chilly breeze of the storm and the obvious sign of destruction remained. Mashu was collapsing on the floor, right at the place where Ritsuka had been only a moment before, tears quelling out of her eyes once again.

"I cannot... this... Sempai... he is...," she pointed towards the window, "The witch took him... just like that..."

"How can this be possible?" Battler cursed.


	5. Tea Party Chapter

**A Rondo of Fate and Mystery - Tea Party Chapter**

Mashu was still in a haze when she went the stairs down to the entrance hall with the portrait of the witch staring down at her. It took quite some time for her to recover after Battler found her like this, after she had allowed the witch to escape with Ritsuka. Afterwards they had visited the still locked crime scene, but just like it happened, her Sempai wasn't there. Mashu ended up crying over the blood-soaked sheets again, even more than after she found him earlier. She couldn't say why it hit her harder now, but it must have been something to do with the assurance that the witch was behind the murder. Nitocris and Battler left her like this and went to inform the others. How many minutes Mashu spend in that room, she could not say, but she stayed until her eyes were dryed up. Only now she collected herself enough to rejoin with the others.

When she arrived in the dining room, she found the others eating glumly at the dinner table. Ronove's food was still splendid, but a murder was clearly affecting the response to it. Mashu sat down next to Nitocris.

"Nothing else was found," Battler told her, poking at his plate miserably.

"Of course... it seems the witch didn't need to leave any traces of herself...", Mashu replied.

"Uuuu ~. I told you, Beatrice made them her sacrifices...," Maria insisted.

Mashu forced a smile on her face.

"Yes... now I believe you... the witch is the murderer... no one else is..."

A fist hit the table, startling everyone. It was Battler, who was visibly upset about this exchange.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you've seen that changed your opinion like this, but I'm afraid I cannot accept it! I cannot accept this witch, when a murderer is among us! Come on, Mashu! Aren't you a Holmes Fan? So why do you stop thinking?"

Mashu just looked down at her lap, grimacing.

"What are you suggesting?"

"We might have not found a culprit hiding here, but that could still mean that the culprit doesn't even try to hide."

"You don't think...," Jessica began startled.

"I don't like it, but it is a possibility," he continued, "How about exchanging what we were doing last night after we split up?"

That went easy enough. The Ushiromiya cousins, interestingly enough, had gathered in Jessica's and Maria's room and were up till the middle of the night, exchanging stories about the past few years. Therefore there was only a small timeframe in which one had the chance to sneak out while the others were sleeping. Not that it was likely for an ordinary human to commit such a crime. Elizabeth claimed she was awake the whole night, contemplating smothering the snoring Ibaraki. Ibaraki herself had no recollections of anything odd, saying that she went out like a stone. Nitocris was in her bed the entire time. Though Mashu had been out for some time when she thought to see one of the witch's butterfly familiars, it was by far not long enough to commit the murder and she didn't have a spirit form either.

"Wait, so that means Nitocris was without alibi for this time?" Battler asked, much to the pharaoh's exasperation.

"Come on, there is no way Caster could have committed the crime...," Ibaraki proclaimed with an annoyed tone.

"Th- thank you... for saying that," Nitocris bowed.

"Yeah, of course you can't kill anyone, you hit like a wet noodle!" Ibaraki added, causing Nitocris slump down once again.

It was then, that it seemed like someone struck a creepy chord. The entrance to the dinner room swung open and for everyone to see, a wave of golden butterflies fluttered inside, manifesting into the Golden Witch Beatrice at the head of the table.

"Ah, I am very sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. In any case, I, Beatrice the Golden Witch, hereby welcome you officially into my mansion and my gameboard, dear visitors!"

Everyone was awestruck. The Servants jumped up, summoning their weapons expecting a fight, everyone except Mashu who just stared at her in disbelief.

"You... you are Beatrice!" she said.

"Of course I am. You have seen me before, have you not?" she cackled madly.

"What is this? Damn it!" Battler cursed, having jumped up as well.

"Oh, don't despair yet, Battler. That would be the least to my liking. Don't despair before I have seen you struggle! Come on, you were just about to deny me, weren't you? Go ahead! Fight my existence with all your might!"

Mashu looked back to the redhead, a frown on her face.

"What does that mean?"

"I... I think I know what she wants...," Battler's voice was almost a whisper before he addressed the witch himself, "We did play such a game in the past, didn't we?"

The grimace of the witch softened, her smile now was almost gentle.

"So you do remember," she said.

"Of course I do! I was horrible at this game and you were always playing mindgames with me!"

Jessica seemed confused, George's face was twisting into a regretful grimace, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

"Come on, then, Battler! Show me how much you have matured in these past years!" the witch pointed at him with her wand-like pipe.

The boy now donned a cocky smile.

"Fine with me! So you say you are the witch Mashu saw? Bullshit! You are just a mask the true culprit hides beneath! Everyone in this room has been in his room during the time of the murder, **[blue]so that leaves only a twelfth person, an enemy Servant from outside, who snuck into this mansion and committed the murder![/blue]** "

"What was that?" Jessica asked in astonishment.

At this time Ronove stepped to the side of his mistress.

"Blue Truth, Miss Jessica. And an effective one at that, for the moment. It is the weapon of the detective, a theory that is valid as long as it is not refuted by either hard evidence or Red Truth."

"Red Truth?" George asked in confusion.

The witch cackled once again triumphantly:

" **[red]Everything said in Red is the truth and only the truth![/red]** "

"A knife with which she can cut my theories to pieces..." Battler grimaced.

"Right, right... And just like you said, hear me out: **[red]** **There were no more than eleven people in this mansion![/red]** ," the witch sneered, "Don't make me fetch the Knox decalogue."

Battler still smiled, but he had to take this information in regardless.

"You are just messing with me, aren't you? A play on words... **[blue]Someone could have snuck out of the mansion at the time of the murder, allowing for the culprit to enter in that timeframe.[/blue]** "

"Let me strike you down where you stand: **[red]No one left or entered the mansion during the night![/red]** "

"Define night!" Battler demanded.

" **[red]Night means from dusk till dawn![/red]** "

Mashu shook her head.

"So that means there was no outsider, no witch who could have committed it."

"Wrong, little lady," Beatrice pointed out, "I just can't be counted because I am no human, but a being beyond your understanding! A being who sacrificed your Master just like this!"

"Nonsense," Batter interjected, "Everyone who had a way to get past this door could have done it."

"Huh?" Beatrice cocked her head, "But the key was still inside, wasn't it? And the chain was locked. **[red]It is impossible to set the chain from outside.[/red]** "

"So you just casually dismiss all kinds of tricks... What about your butler? If he is a demon like he claims..."

"What is this, Battler? The butler did it? Come on! Don't tire me with old tropes like this. But if you want to imply that he has locked the door for the culprit, I can assure you: The door was locked with the key on the nightstand, not with a Master Key or any kind of replica. It's because Ritsuka did it before I barged in and repaired it with magic!"

"Tch...", Battler was reeling, but Jessica came up to his side:

"Hey, why aren't you trying to go for the most obvious solution? I like it as little as you do, but... **[blue]Robin was in that room and he disappeared. Maybe he is the killer and is still hiding in Spirit Form.[/blue]** Wow, speaking like this was weird..."

The witch eyed the two humans in front of him with satisfaction.

"Well, our dear Battler is still trying to avoid thinking about placating anyone he knows. Even if they are strangers he only met yesterday," Beatrice explained, "Well met, Jessica. I am glad you join us as well. But I am afraid I cannot let this stand: **[red]Robin is dead[/red]**. How can he be the murderer if I killed him?"

George now walked up to her as well.

" **[blue]What about Nitocris then? She could have phased through the wall while Mashu wasn't looking, committed the crime and returned to her room.[/blue]** "

Battler was looking back and forth between his two cousins who were now fighting alongside him. He couldn't help but cock a smile.

"Thanks, guys! You are awesome!"

"We can't have you let all the fun, can we?" Jessica blinked. "Now then, witch, what are you saying?"

The witch however looked thoughtful.

"Well... I don't need to answer all blue truth. I can always crush your theory later. As long as there is a single mystery left, I can come back to haunt you! What about me retrieving the corpse then? If I am just standing in for Nitocris, then she must have moved a solid corpse through two closed doors. The one of the room and the one in the attic. May I remind you: **[red]Only Ronove has the key to the attic and was in the study at the time Ritsuka was moved![/red]** "

The three cousins were in a pinch. If they didn't get any help soon, they would be in a deadlock this early in the game...

* * *

 **And now it is your turn! Let me hear your Blue Truths in the comment section! *cackle* *cackle*  
**


	6. Chapter ?

**A Rondo of Fate and Mystery - Chapter ?**

"Even if we accept that fishy excuse that the butler hasn't been the culprit, he still can be an accomplice," Jessica suggested. " **[blue]Since Ronove had the key to the attic and Mashu had the key to the bedroom, them opening both doors up to carry the corpse upstairs would be no problem if they are accomplices![/blue]** "

The cousins exchanged triumphant smiles, even though Mashu herself seemed morose about being suspected.

"It does make sense," George agreed, "Mashu and Nitocris are the only ones who claim to have seen the witch. If we assume that they are the killers, it all makes sense."

Battler nodded eagerly, turning back to the witch.

"How about that?"

Her vicious smile remained though and Ronove besides her seemed unfazed.

" **[red]I serve only Lady Beatrice,[/red]** " he replied matter-of-factly, " **I would never make myself an accomplice to anyone else in this mansion.** "

"That should debunk your theory quite thoroughly, doesn't it?" the witch cackled.

"Fine, scratch Ronove! We don't need him or his key. Just repeat in red: The door to the attic was locked at the time of the corpse's moving!"

His cousins frowned about that move, but they were even more astonished when the witch didn't proceed to do so.

"Why should I?," she shot back, grimacing, "I respond to your blue truth as I see fit, after all."

Battler grinned and so did George as he realized what that meant.

" **[blue]So we can just say Ronove forgot to lock the door after we went there yesterday and we are fine?[/blue]** "

The butler looked squeamishly, but Beatrice let it slide.

"Not quite," Jessica interjected, "There is still the question of the bedroom door. Since Ronove is not an accomplice and he was together with Mashu at the time, we have to assume that he would have mentioned Mashu opening the door."

"That is indeed correct, lady Jessica," the demon made a short bow.

" **[blue]There must have been a time in which Mashu snuck away from Ronove, in which she opened the door and carried the corpse to the attic.[/blue]** ", Battler suggested.

"Wrong!," Beatrice declared, " **[red]** **At the time the body of Ritsuka left the bedroom he was found in,** **Mashu was with Ronove and was never outside of his observation![/red]**

Battler snapped his fingers.

"Fine, so Mashu wasn't the one opening the door, but that still leaves Nitocris. The only question is how she acquired the key. **[blue]** **Mashu stealthily gave Nitocris the key at some point before we separated to search the floor in pairs. Nitocris unlocked the door to Ritsuka's bedroom in the brief span of time she was outside the bedroom I was investigating. Unlocking a door should be such a short process that she would have enough time to do so without arousing suspicion, as the bedrooms are next door to each other.** **[/blue]** "

"Good job, Battler," the witch cackled, "Then what? Go on!"

Battler's triumphant smile cracked.

"Damn, I just realized that the timespan in which I wasn't looking to Nitocris isn't long enough for her to carry a corpse away..."

His cousins gave exasperated sighs.

"Seriously?," Jessica laughed, "That was quite the short attack!"

"I can't help it, sorry."

"But I do think Battler is right," George interjected, "He is only wrong in assuming that a body needed to be carried."

"Right!," Jessica went on, "What if Ritsuka was just playacting. **[blue]Nitocris opened the door like Battler described and then Ritsuka ran up the stairs to hide in the attic![/blue]** "

The witch nodded in agreement.

"Flawless reasoning, if not for one little detail: **[red]Ritsuka is dead.[/red]** "

Mashu winced as the truth hit her, but it didn't prevent the cousins from rolling with it.

" **[blue]Then Mashu must have killed him after she followed him upstairs. She threw him out of the window before I arrived.[/blue]** ," Battler reasoned.

Beatrice looked at the girl in question with an expression that bordered on pity.

"I can one thing for certain: **[red]Mashu would never kill Ritsuka![/red]** "

"Then... **[blue]It was suicide![/blue]** "

" **[red]Ritsuka didn't commit suicide...[/red]** "

" **[blue]How about an accident? He opened the window, slipped and fell to his death![/blue]** "

" **[red]Ritsuka had no reason to open the window.[/red]** And to put the lid on this coffin: **[red]Ritsuka's body doesn't exist anywhere in the rose garden. The rose garden meaning the entire area surrounding the mansion.[/red]** Obviously because I spirited him far away!"

Battler was just staring at the witch incredulously, messing up his hair in frustration.

"That's nonsense... does that mean the body is hidden somewhere else in the mansion?"

"Then we have to look at it from a different perspective...," George thought.

"Could it be that the body was moved at some earlier time?", Jessica asked.

"Amateurs", a shrill voice suddenly interrupted.

After having sat back alongside the other Servants, Elizabeth finally stood up and joined the cousins in their battle.

"You had a good game going, but you are giving up far too easily on good ideas."

"So you say that Mashu and Nitocris can still be the culprit?", Battler asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course I do. But to confirm my theory, I would like to find the corpse."

"Good luck with that!", the witch sneered.

"Just repeat this in red: The corpse of Ritsuka is not anywhere else inside the mansion."

" **[red]The corpse of Ritsuka is not anywhere else inside the mansion.[/red]** ", Beatrice's smile could carve a cake.

Stunned silence set in as this revelation sunk in.

"That's impossible!", a distraught Battler exclaimed.

"Of course it is!", the witch cackled, "It wouldn't be funny if it were! I spirited him far away."

"Nah...", Elizabeth interjected. "Let us see for ourselves."

"Do you distrust my red?"

"No, but I just want to make sure I get the layout of the mansion right."

Beatrice shrugged and with that a change of location was decided. In spite of Ibaraki's complains that is. The wind had ebbed down somewhat, but the rain was still heavy, so Ronove handed out umbrellas to the mortals in the entrance. They want out into a rose garden that was still tinted by the dark grey sky. The moment everyone had gathered at the entrance, Beatrice stepped out into the rain and faced them with her arms spread out:

"You can search anywhere you want, you will not find him."

"I have not come out to search the garden," Elizabeth replied cockily, stepping to the witch's side and looking up to take in the entire front of the mansion, "That window up there belongs to the attic, doesn't it?"

"Indeed it does," Ronove assured her matter-of-factly.

"It is right above the canopy of the entrance...," Battler observed, "Do you think..."

Elizabeth nodded and then disappeared in a whirl. It took the humans a bit to grasp that she had just jumped onto the roof of the mansion, something entirely possible for a Heroic Spirit. Clinging to the tiles with one hand she turned around and looked down onto the canopy. Her disgusted grimace was telling enough about what she had found there.

"Ha ha," Battler shot a grim look towards Beatrice, "He was neither inside the mansion, nor the garden. You forgot to mention the roof..."

"Hey, I was just trying to keep it interesting!", the golden witch cackled.

A few more jumps and Elizabeth had managed take the corpse and bring it below to the entrance, where she put him onto the only dry place with everyone gathering around him like in a sinister wake. His shirt was soaked with both red blood and water and his neck twisted in a nauseating angle, but it was still obviously Ritsuka.

"So killing him was not enough, the killer just had to throw him out of the window," George noted.

"Not quite," Elizabeth chimed in. "The wound that killed him was the broken neck, he was still alive when he fell, only the landing was quite unlucky."

"Seriously, I don't even want to know how you acquired the knowledge to determine a cause of death...," Ibaraki complained.

The vampire baroness gave an unsure smile, but pointed towards Ritsuka's neck once again.

"Well, part of that is only the observation that the wound of his cut throat somehow managed to get washed away in the rain. That makes it kinda obvious..."

"Wait... he never got his throat cut? That means...," Battler's eyes widened.

"He faked his death, it was all just an act!", Jessica exclaimed.

"Then what happened to make him end up like this?" George wondered.

Everyone turned around towards the two people who had remained silent during the entire trip. Mashu and Nitocris. Nitocris looked shocked, but Mashu was close to panic. Whether it was rainwater or sweat running down her face, it was difficult to tell.

"Did you... throw him out of the window? Why?", Battler asked confused.

"I didn't... I didn't...", she just said meekly.

"As I said, Mashu would never kill her beloved Sempai," Beatrice said with a gentle voice, "That's why I took the blame for his death upon me. But it seems I was defeated and Mashu has to face the truth."

The girl nodded, tears streaming out of her eyes as she slumped down onto the steps of the entrance.

"It was an accident!," she screamed, "I never wanted this to happen! All I wanted was a little mystery to pass the time, a simple case to feel a little bit like in a Holmes story."

"You wanted me to solve it... That's why everything was set up to frame Nitocris," Battler mused, "Damn it, I caused this with my stupid jokes of a mystery setting..."

"No... it is not your fault... we all tried to do it. Yesterday night, when everyone was asleep, I met with Sempai and Robin to plan the entire thing. Ritsuka was pretending to be killed while a knife I snatched from the kitchen was placed under Nitocris' mattress. Robin was just in spirit mode, pretending to have been killed as well in the room they themselves had locked. But because that would be too easy a case, we decided to make sempai's corpse disappear with only Nitocris not having an alibi. So after we formed groups, I gave the key to sempai's room to Nitocris and she used it to let him out. He was just supposed to hide in the attic, whose door was luckily left open."

"... but it was more difficult than imagined to find a suitable moment to sneak away from Battler. So when I managed to let Master out, Mashu and Ronove were already appearing. So I panicked, thinking that they might have seen him...," Nitocris added.

"I played along, following him, trying to make sure that he would find a good hiding spot. By the time I arrived he was trying to empty the closet next to the window. But something went wrong... it toppled over... and sempai... jumping away trying not to get crushed by it... somehow hit against the window..."

A frustrated groan went through the whole crowd. They had seen what had happened when Nitocris was leaning against the window and Battler had seen how it was flown open the same way when he found Mashu.

"So he just accidentally fell out of the window...", Battler said.

"What anticlimax," George gave a dry laugh.

"Wait a moment... Beatrice still insisted that a true murder happened...," Jessica interjected.

Everyone was exchanging worried glances.

""Robin!"", they all exclaimed.

And the eyes fell upon Mashu once again.

"I panicked!", she defended herself meekly, "I couldn't think straight when I returned downstairs! I just saw sempai die! So when everyone left me there, crying, Robin appeared and I told him what had happened... and he... and he blamed me... and... I snapped at him... and... I hit him with my shield! Yes! There it is... I am a murderer..."

"You... hit him with your shield?," Battler asked incredulously, "Is that... really enough to kill a Heroic Spirit? I thought you guys are tough..."

"Well, thing is, Robin was just Level 6," Ibaraki stated dryly, "We just took him along for the Bond Points."

"Oh...," was everything Battler could say to that.

"Don't worry, we can just summon him again," the oni added, "Well, we could, if our stupid Master hadn't managed to kill himself. Chaldea is going to be in a lot of trouble thanks to this."

The case was solved, but the atmosphere was still tense and the future of mankind seemed dark. It was then when Beatrice stepped towards Mashu and offered her hand.

"Rise, child. You may have sinned, but it is not all lost. Your struggles have entertained my well, especially the parts in which you praised my name. Therefore I will grant you my magic once again."

Mashu took the witch's hand and straightened up, still sniffling and with her eyes reddened from crying.

"How would that work?"

"Just close your eyes!," Beatrice ordered gently before turning to the others, "Everyone, come close your eyes."

Maria was the first to do so, but after a bit of confusion, the rest followed swiftly.

"Now come and imagine your friend, your Master, your Sempai Ritsuka. Come try and remember, the form he used to have!"

So Beatrice and Mashu chanted those words together, not only remembering themselves, but trying to make Ritsuka himself remember. And as they did so, the grey clouds in the sky opened up, allowing a ray of sunshine to fall upon the golden roses and let them sparkle beneath a rainbow. Then the butterflies emerged, the golden symbol of the witch, and they gathered around the corpse of Ritsuka, embracing him with their otherworldly glow.

When everyone opened their eyes again, the butterflies were gone. But the glow remained. Ritsuka's broken neck and smaller bruises were gone, even though his clothes were still drenched. And much to their wonder... he opened his eyes!

[ ... ugh... what... has happened? Why is everyone looking at me like this? ]

He sat up and looked around.

"Sempai!" Mashu cried out after the first shock was washed away. "You... you live!"

[ Apparently so... ]

She hugged him so tight the others were fearing she would break him once again. Of course upon realizing the watching crowd, Mashu got embarrassed and darted backwards, but her happiness was still palpable.

[ It seems my clumsiness ruined your mystery game ]

"Well... not quite as much as you might think...", Battler and Beatrice exchanged knowing looks.

"Thank you, Beatrice! I cannot say how lost I would be if not..."

"Uuuu ~ Beatrice is amazing like this! Of course she can revive the dead as she sees fit!," Maria chimed in just as happily, "Though I am still confused about why there are two stories about what had happened."

The cousins looked at each other, unsure how to explain it to her, but they then decided to leave that for later.

"Wow, so we actually managed to make this a happy end. Everybody lives, everybody laughs!", Ibaraki declared, "Well except for Robin, but whatever."

[ And even the sky has cleared! ]

He was still a bit shaky, but Ritsuka stepped out from the canopy and looked up into the sky.

"Well, I guess we all know what that means," Mashu admitted.

"It means saying goodbye, doesn't it?", Battler said.

George was looking at his wristwatch:

"It has become pretty late anyway, we should catch some sleep anyway."

"True enough," Jessica suppressed a yawn, "Though it had been fun."

"I am glad you liked this little battle," Beatrice admitted, "You see, this is how a being like me staves off her boredom. You can join in any time you want the next time!"

"And there they go again, living in their own world...", Elizabeth groaned, "Well, it seems we have to say our goodbyes."

[ Goodbye, everyone! ]

[ Yes, back to farming hell! ]

[ ...]

At this point Mashu's connection to Dr. Roman sprung up.

"Hey! Thank goodness, you are back! The storm seems to be over. Is everyone alright?"

Ritsuka and Mashu glanced at each other with worried expression.

"Now we are fine again, more or less," Mashu replied, "A lot has happened... I'd prefer not to go into any details."

"Huh... you seem quite exhausted. It seems I always miss the best parts. Well, Chaldea expects your return!"

And thus, they said their farewells to the cousins who fought so valiantly to uncover the truth. The Chaldea crew had to go onwards to new adventures, having gained just another unforgettable experience. Well that and that Mashu certainly will never go to a mystery dinner ever again...

 **The End**

* * *

I especially thank 'midsummer' from the Rokkenjima forum for crossing swords with me! You were always so goddamn close to the truth, but thankfully it turned into a far fairer fight than initially expected. Kudos to your patience!

Of course I also thank UndyingSoul98 for trying to make a shot at it, though it was regrettable that it hadn't time to turn into an actual truth battle!


End file.
